By Austin B. Tucker
George
Whitefield, in October 1740, was preaching across the New England colonies,
at Philadelphia, New York, Long Island, Boston, and Northampton. A young man
longed to hear the great evangelist. Then suddenly one morning a messenger rode
up on horseback to tell him that Mr. Whitefield preached at Hartford yesterday
and was to preach at Middletown that morning at ten o'clock. The man dropped
his hoe in the field and ran home as fast as he could. He ran into the house
and told his wife, "Get ready quick to go and hear Mr. Whitefield at Middletown!"
He ran to the pasture to get his horse. He later said, "I ran with all
my might fearing I should be too late to hear him."
He
mounted his horse and pulled his wife up behind him. They had twelve miles to
ride in little more than one hour. They rode as fast as he thought the horse
could bear. And when the horse was out of breath, he got down and put his wife
in the saddle. He told her to ride as fast as she could and not stop or slow
down for him. Then he ran alongside the horse until he was too out of breath
to keep up. Then again mounting the horse with his wife they rode "as if
fleeing for their lives" until time to spell the horse again.
When
the couple came near the road that runs from Hartford to Middletown, they saw
a cloud or a fog rising in the distance. He thought at first it was coming from
the Connecticut River. As they came nearer, he heard a low rumbling thunder
and soon realized it was the rumble of horses hooves. The cloud was the dust
they were raising.
A
steady stream of horses appeared, said he, "slipping along in the cloud
like shadows." As they came closer still, he saw them all lathered from
a long run. There were so many horses and riders one behind the other that there
was hardly a length between them for him to slip in his horse. Every mount seemed
to go with all his might to carry his rider to hear the good news. As they joined
the great cloud of dust and men riding as if in a race, he thought, "Our
clothes will be all spoiled." Coats, hats, shirts and horses were all the
same color of dust, but they rode on. They went down into a stream, but he heard
no man complain. No one was working in the fields along the whole twelve mile
journey. It seemed that everyone was drawn to hear the slender young preacher.
They came to a meeting house where some three or four thousand were already
gathered. He looked toward the river and saw row boats and ferry boats running
back and forth bringing loads of people.
Soon
the preacher came to his appointment. Our witness testified:
It solemnized
my mind and put me in a trembling fear. Before he began to preach he looked
as if he was clothed with authority from the Great God. A sweet solemnity
sat upon his brow. Hearing him preach gave me a heart wound. By God's blessing,
my old foundation was broken up, and I saw that my righteousness would not
save me. 1